Sure, he’d like to be No. 1, but considering the size of UC Riverside, the fact that its entomology department was recently ranked second in the world by the Center for World University Rankings makes Redak, the chairman of the department, feel pretty good.

“I’ll take it,” Redak said. “I’m really happy we’re No. 2 in the world. It doesn’t surprise me, given what I know about my faculty.”

Faculty members wondered why UCR was only in the second slot.

“‘Who’s No. 1?’ was the first thing out of everyone’s mouth,” Redak said.

That would be the University of Florida.

Perhaps it’s a citrus thing. Both schools sit in states known for their citrus industries. In fact, UCR’s genesis can be traced back to the citrus experiment station established here by UC Berkeley in 1907. Not long after that, Redak said, the need was seen for scientists in agriculture-related fields, including entomology.

““They started off running a very, very strong program and those programs have remained strong.” Redak said. “That’s what the campus was established on.”

The evaluating organization, based in the United Arab Emirates, has been ranking schools annually since 2012. This is the first year it has ranked individual subject areas. The rankings were made on the basis of how often research papers from a given department appeared in major peer-reviewed journals.

Because this ranking was based on the quality of research, Redak said it probably means more to him than other such lists, which often include elements he and his colleagues have no control over, such as tuition and housing costs.

“It basically is a reaffirmation of our strength and our abilities,” he said. “It indicates we’re on the path of doing things right. We’re providing significant information that people find useful.”

Redak said he had no idea his department was being evaluated by the rankings group. But, based on the criteria it used, he said he would have expected UCR to place high.

“I know what our people are doing so that does not surprise me,” he said.

So far, there have been no balloons and streamers in the department. Not even a cake.

“It hit us right at the end of the (academic) quarter,” he said of the good news. “We just keep our heads down and keep working.”

Cal State MBA program ranks high

In a separate rankings report, CEO magazine has put Cal State San Bernardino’s business school among the top in the world in its annual rankings of MBA, Executive MBA and online MBA programs.

San Bernardino was listed in the top tier of the rankings for American schools, along with two other Cal State schools: Long Beach and East Bay. Globally, San Bernardino tied with Griffith and Deakin universities, both in Australia, for 16th on the list.

CEO magazine has been compiling the rankings since 2008.

Pell may end summer vacation

Inside Higher Ed is reporting that the Pell Grant’s summer hiatus may be ending.

The White House and Republicans in Congress are backing the reinstatement of year-round Pell funding, but at a cost. The money for the summer support would come from an existing surplus in the Pell program, which the Trump Administration has been trying to tap. Making the grants available in June, July and August would cost an estimated $2 billion. Most of that $1.2 billion would be pulled from the $10.6 billion surplus.

The Obama Administration cut summer Pell funding in 2012, citing costs. Since that time, many education leaders have pushed for its return, often citing it as a way to help students graduate college earlier and the help them avoid incurring more college debt.

Mark Muckenfuss has been a reporter since 1981. He worked at various publications including the San Bernardino Sun before coming to the Press Enterprise in 1999. He covers higher education, military affairs and, when the ground shakes, earthquakes.